Sunday, February 08, 2004
Lots of fun and games, but this caught my eye.
You may remember the Segway (funky two-wheeled platform, with a handlebar on
a stick? Lean the direction you want to go, and it does it?).
A local promoter is trying to sell them in Tokyo, and decided a good way to
get buyers was to have a couple of them out there, running around.
Unfortunately, the police took one look at these on the street and said
"They're scooters, and they're illegal! No rear-view mirror, no lights, no
horn, no brakes. You can't drive these on the road."
Of course, if you can't use them on public roads, they're kind of expensive
toys for running around your house.
What do you think? Are the police doing the right thing, trying to fit this
new gadget into an old category and requiring that it have the same safety
features? Or is the promoter right, that the laws should be changed to
allow use of these 'as is'? Offhand, it seems as if the police have a
point, rear-view mirrors, lights, and horn at least are the conventions for
keeping track of what's going on around you and communicating with other
drivers. Not having them, what do you do? Twist your head, I guess, but
the lights and horn are a bit harder to fake. I guess you could strap a
miner's light on your head, and put an airhorn in your pocket?
You may remember the Segway (funky two-wheeled platform, with a handlebar on
a stick? Lean the direction you want to go, and it does it?).
A local promoter is trying to sell them in Tokyo, and decided a good way to
get buyers was to have a couple of them out there, running around.
Unfortunately, the police took one look at these on the street and said
"They're scooters, and they're illegal! No rear-view mirror, no lights, no
horn, no brakes. You can't drive these on the road."
Of course, if you can't use them on public roads, they're kind of expensive
toys for running around your house.
What do you think? Are the police doing the right thing, trying to fit this
new gadget into an old category and requiring that it have the same safety
features? Or is the promoter right, that the laws should be changed to
allow use of these 'as is'? Offhand, it seems as if the police have a
point, rear-view mirrors, lights, and horn at least are the conventions for
keeping track of what's going on around you and communicating with other
drivers. Not having them, what do you do? Twist your head, I guess, but
the lights and horn are a bit harder to fake. I guess you could strap a
miner's light on your head, and put an airhorn in your pocket?
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
Setsubun (節分)
Yesterday, Feb. 3, 2004, was Setsubun (節分). That's Bean-Throwing Night or the holiday for the end of winter, according to my Japanese dictionary.
It's funny because so many people are trying to follow various customs, but they don't seem to really know what they mean.
The basic custom starts with devils being driven out of the house by throwing soy beans at them (鬼は出る). Since usually the devils are relatives wearing masks, it's a good thing that the soy beans are roasted and light. This custom at least has some obvious meaning, we're driving out personified bad luck.
Another one, though, is to eat as many soybeans as you are old. That one's a bit harder to get a handle on, and I haven't had luck in finding someone who knew what it meant. Admittedly, the soybeans are a crunchy treat, but why should I eat my age?
This year, there seemed to be more emphasis on a third custom. That's eating an uncut maki sushi. Apparently this is a Kansai area custom, but the convenience stores publicized it. One part which I had not heard before was that you should eat the sushi facing a certain direction. This allowed the convenience stores to add little magnetic compasses to the setsubun sushi kits. Apparently the direction depends on the year, too. But again, when I tried to find out why I should do this, I didn't get a clear answer.
Frankly, I think most of the people enjoying these customs aren't really interested in why, they're just adding a bit of spice to a grey winter. So they'll happily buy setsubun sushi from their local convenience store, and drive out the devils of the winter with soy beans. Is it all that important to understand, or just to enjoy the custom?
Yesterday, Feb. 3, 2004, was Setsubun (節分). That's Bean-Throwing Night or the holiday for the end of winter, according to my Japanese dictionary.
It's funny because so many people are trying to follow various customs, but they don't seem to really know what they mean.
The basic custom starts with devils being driven out of the house by throwing soy beans at them (鬼は出る). Since usually the devils are relatives wearing masks, it's a good thing that the soy beans are roasted and light. This custom at least has some obvious meaning, we're driving out personified bad luck.
Another one, though, is to eat as many soybeans as you are old. That one's a bit harder to get a handle on, and I haven't had luck in finding someone who knew what it meant. Admittedly, the soybeans are a crunchy treat, but why should I eat my age?
This year, there seemed to be more emphasis on a third custom. That's eating an uncut maki sushi. Apparently this is a Kansai area custom, but the convenience stores publicized it. One part which I had not heard before was that you should eat the sushi facing a certain direction. This allowed the convenience stores to add little magnetic compasses to the setsubun sushi kits. Apparently the direction depends on the year, too. But again, when I tried to find out why I should do this, I didn't get a clear answer.
Frankly, I think most of the people enjoying these customs aren't really interested in why, they're just adding a bit of spice to a grey winter. So they'll happily buy setsubun sushi from their local convenience store, and drive out the devils of the winter with soy beans. Is it all that important to understand, or just to enjoy the custom?
